Sweets Spotlight: My Baker Made Me...

The danish is a simple enough affair. It consists of a shell, a filling and sometimes a topping. Similarly, the black and white cookie is nothing more than a unification of two types of fondant and soft yellow cake. Yet, due to the nature of baking and confectioner ingenuity, these treats can come in many different forms. Not all of these incarnations are equal. YourBaker's take on the cheese danish and the relatively uniform black and white cookie make it obvious that even the simplest formulas leave room for tasty innovation.


Fresh is the key word when discussing these delicacies. Your Baker's pastries are soft and receptive to the gentle chewing one associates with baked goodies. The yellow cake of the black and white cookie stands out because it's moist and spongy, unlike most of the other alternatives near 86th street, which are dry and more akin to bread than a confection.

The danish is an excellent example of subtle creativity, the simple aspects given a tune-up with the addition of confectioner's sugar and soft crumbles as toppings. Still, what really sells it is the most base element: the cheese. It has a gentle taste better suited to mature palates. Resting between the overly sweet packaged goods at bodegas and the typically bland filling of most local bakeries, it leans slightly in the direction of zest without tripping into it face first.

iEat with an Urban Spoon

The advent of the smart phone has changed the way people do just about everything. If there isn't already an application that showcases the many ways to tie your shoes already, there will be one soon for the upcoming audience of tech-savvy toddlers. It makes sense then, that there's an array of gadgets available to help with something we do every day: eat. One of these however, stands out more than the rest because it doesn't only give you ways to answer the popular question of "where do I eat?" It picks a place for you!

Urban Spoon's "shake" feature is something altogether fun and different than what the alternatives provide. With as little as a single button press, it will randomly select a place to eat in your immediate area.

The interface, reminiscent of a slot machine, consists of three parts. First, there's the area. If you leave this box "unlocked", it will always default to the area you're in according to your phone. Second, there's the types of food in the area. It can be very specific or largely broad. In two spins, you might get "Italian", but immediately after also get "Pizza". Lastly, but far from least important, there's a field which represents costs in a series of dollar signs. The more dollar signs, the more expensive. Lock this in at one symbol to keep your prospects in a fair price range.

There's no limits to how many times one can spin in a session and sometimes it may take a few gambles to arrive at a place that satisfies an obscure hunger. Once satisfied, all the standard tools of reference are another touch away: map, directions, phone numbers, reviews and the ominous thumbs up or down button people love to abuse.

Urban Spoon satisfies most practical desires relating to food. It provides a list of nearby restaurants, relevant information and reviews, it even picks eateries for indecisive patrons. It's an all-encompassing application with the twist of appealing to everyone's inner-gambler.

McDonald's Delivers Shot to Ribs

There are few things in fast food which are genuinely exciting. Every so often, one of the bigger chains will release a new item that attracts a great deal of short-term attention. The item, depending on its success will either be added to the permanent roster or dumped entirely. One item more than any other transcends this trend: the coveted McRib.


While a potent force in the food world all on its own, the creative (or wicked) marketing strategy McDonald's employs with the McRib is what has garnered the sandwich a near-cult following. The McRib makes yearly "farewell" tours around the country, emerging at seemingly random spots. Available for only brief stints in each area, it vanishes the same way it appears, silently.

It's this mysterious habit which has inspired fans to create websites dedicated solely to reporting where the McRib has been seen. Expect to see entries listing the 86th and 4th McDonalds because it's being sold there now!

Sweets Spotlight: Sir, There's no Egg in my Eggcream.

Hiding somewhere in the evolutionary chain between the cocoa bean and the chocolate milkshake lurks the Egg Cream. Having fallen out of fashion, this treat is often forgotten. Luckily for people in Bay Ridge, Hinsch's Confectionery is a veritable time portal. Step through the door, arrive in the 80s and enjoy a sip of this hard-to-find but easy-to-enjoy beverage. For the low price of $1.50, the only excuse not to is laziness.



For those of you unfamiliar with the elusive egg cream, it's fairly simple. First, there's no eggs or cream. It consists chiefly of chocolate syrup, seltzer water and milk. Don't be intimidated. It sounds like a cheap milkshake and it is, but it has a taste all its own. Featuring a light, frothy head, each sip is bubbly. There's a mild chocolate taste, with the carbonation from the seltzer mostly flattened out. In the end, it touches your palate like coffee; The first sip is bitter, the second sip is better and the third produces an out of body experience.

Five Dollar Feasts: Imagine if Bacon Were Good For You

Looking for something tasty, but cost effective? Tired of the dollar menu? Five Dollar Feasts is here exclusively to highlight the middle ground which separates expensive and cost effective without falling into the fast food trap.

Bacon will never be good for you, but it will always be tasty and relatively cheap. This makes it a prime candidate for meals which cost less, but still tickle the palate. Nothing captures the very essence of bacon like breakfast does and not a thing summarizes breakfast in New York City like the Bacon, Egg and Cheese sandwich.
Five Star Bagel on 5th, between 86th and 87th has challenged that notion, however. Not by just making the best Bacon, Egg and Cheese on a bagel in the neighborhood, but by making it affordable and available all day. At $3.00 a piece, it's a marvel that people in Bay Ridge are as healthy as they are with Five Star Bagel around.

The secret is in the bagel itself. While best in the morning, the firm, slightly crunchy shell and soft, puffy inside are appealing at any time.

Hannah, Are You New Here?

If you spend a lot of time around 86th street, you may have seen Hanna's Grocery Store, on 85th, between 4th and 5th. Perhaps, you passed by without giving it a second glance. However, that will be much more difficult now that it has evolved into a health food friendly fruit stand. With its new look (interior and exterior), Hanna's previously overlooked grocery store may now get some much craved attention.

Hiatus Haiku

Summer sun sets now
Winter looms ahead
Pancake with a smile

Translation: Over the summer, your local chew enthusiast took a brief break from the hustle and bustle of food writing. Fear not, however, for the baddest set of teeth on the block has returned to continue bringing the (chewed up?) chow you crave. Articles of all types and sizes are forthcoming. I know some of you just can't wait though, so I found a great recipe to play with in the meantime. It's a surefire way to help you start the day off with a smile. It's not local to Bay Ridge, but how could you say no to this?